The COVID-19 Child Care Crisis: What Parents Need to Know

Ann Gadzikowski

A few child care centers remain open to care for the children of essential workers, but most preschools and child care centers are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When and how will they reopen? Britannica for Parents Executive Editor and early childhood expert Ann Gadzikowski discusses what’s next for parents and children.

As the COVID-19 pandemic forces the closures of K–12 schools, colleges, and universities, most early childhood programs, such as preschools and child care centers, have also closed. (A handful of programs remain open to provide child care for essential workers.) A survey of early childhood professionals conducted by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) from March 12–16 shows that only 11 percent of early childhood programs are confident that they will survive a closure without support. Many preschools and child care centers, especially small programs that are not part of a school district or larger organization, may never reopen. What does this mean for early childhood education as a whole and for parents who rely on child care services, now and in the future?

An Informal Patchwork of Schools and Programs

Unfortunately, child care was already in crisis before the pandemic. In the United States there is no coordinated system for early childhood care and education. Instead we have an informal patchwork of many different kinds of programs and services—private preschools, for-profit child care centers, public school pre-kindergarten programs, federal Head Start programs, family child care homes, just to name a few. Every state has different regulations and codes for health and safety and there are no formally recognized national learning standards or curriculum.

Quality child care and early education requires an investment in staff. Teaching and caring for groups of young children requires training and talent. And yet the U.S. average wage of child care workers is only $11.00 per hour. At that low rate, it is difficult for early childhood programs to recruit and retain good teachers and skilled caregivers. At the same time, most families struggle to pay child care fees and tuition. This video from Child Care Aware helps explain why child care costs are so high when, at the same time, teachers and caregivers earn so little.

In this context, it’s easy to understand why so many early childhood programs may not survive the current closures. Few early childhood programs have reserve funds. Liability insurance does not cover pandemics. During the current closures, many parents will not be able to continue paying tuition and child care fees, which means teachers and caregivers will not be paid.

The Plight of Child Care Workers and Preschool Teachers

Unlike most K–12 teachers who are now challenged to provide distance learning options for their students, early childhood teachers can’t really teach remotely. As NAEYC Executive Director Rhian Evans Allvin states, “While there are tools online that can support children’s learning, the reality is that there is no online equivalent to preschool.” Many early childhood educators are providing learning activities and social supports for parents and families by way of videos, group chats, weblinks, and so on, but for children five and under, online learning is supplemental, not the core activity of their day. Even the best digital learning tools are not meant to be used as a replacement for the group learning and socialization that happens in child care centers and preschools. Young children learn through relationships and through hands-on engagement with their physical environment and tangible materials.

“While there are tools online that can support children’s learning, the reality is that there is no online equivalent to preschool.”

Rhian Evans Allvin, NAEYC Executive Director

At the same, professionals who choose to work with children are incredibly caring people who are deeply committed to their work. Not being able to see children and families is immeasurably sad and stressful for teachers and caregivers. As a former preschool and child care director, I’ve been in contact with early childhood professionals across the nation who are working tirelessly to support families from a distance. I know of many early childhood teachers who are offering story times and other educational resources online for families, often without compensation.

One of the most difficult challenges early childhood professionals face right now is how to provide child care services to essential workers like health-care providers. Some states have worked quickly to put together a process for licensing child care centers to provide services based on guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet many early childhood advocates assert that these guidelines, such as extra handwashing and limiting the number of children in a group, are not enough to protect children and child care workers from getting sick. For example, Abbi Kruse, a child care director in Madison, Wisconsin, created an advocacy group called “Essential Not Expendable,” which is calling for hazard pay and coverage of medical costs for all child care workers providing services to essential workers. Kruse’s group also questions whether it is realistic for teachers of small children to follow guidelines that require them to wear masks while caring for little ones and make children play and eat separately, at a distance from one another.

Call to Action: Support Early Childhood Professionals

The good news is that there are specific actions we can take to support early childhood professionals and organizations.

Reach Out to Early Childhood Programs in Your Community

If your family is already affiliated with an early childhood program, reach out to the director or the teachers, and ask them what they need. Just showing you care will mean so much to them during these stressful times. They may also have requests such as delivering supplies or food to teachers or families.

Contact Your Legislators

Contact the NAEYC or your local child care resource and referral agency to find out how to support their efforts through advocacy and legislative action. Read the NAEYC position paper “Child Care Is Essential and Needs Emergency Support to Survive.” Sign up for NAEYC action alerts, and contact your legislators to advocate for support for early childhood professionals.

Here is a template for a letter to a legislator that can be adapted and edited.

Hello,

My name is <insert name>. I am a parent in <city, state>. I am writing to you because I am concerned about the children in our state staying safe and healthy and reducing community spread of the virus while their parents in essential roles are needed to work to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. <insert story or personal details>

We need clear policy now to protect early educators and the families they serve. I ask you to support four crucial measures:

1) Close child care programs to all but essential workers who require child care and grant paid leave to ALL nonessential workers to care for their children for the duration of the emergency.

2) Guarantee every early educator (in centers and home) paid leave at full salary and underwrite all child care businesses.

4) Include early educators and their employers in federal plans for financial relief for targeted workers and industries.

Thank you,

<insert name, position><insert telephone number>

Celebrate the Week of the Young Child

The Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This year, WOYC takes on a new urgency to focus public attention on the needs of young children, their families, and early childhood professionals. During the week of April 11–17, follow NAEYC events and advocacy campaigns on social media (#WOYC20) and on the NAEYC website.